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Carolyn Lawson says she's the fall-guy for the state's inability to develop a functional health exchange. She notified the state Monday she is considering suing the state for wrongful discharge, defamation and other charges.
(The Associated Press)

Carolyn Lawson, the self-described "scapegoat" in the
state's health exchange debacle, filed notice Monday she is considering suing
the state for wrongful discharge, defamation and other charges.

Lawson is the former chief information officer for the Oregon Health Authority who oversaw the Oregon health exchange project. In a five-page letter to the state she claims she was forced out after she refused to participate in
the "cover-up" intended by the state to protect Cover Oregon, the public
corporation overseeing the troubled health exchange. State officials "have
engaged in a systematic pattern of defaming Ms. Lawson by claiming she
mismanaged OHA funds and delivered a bad product in May 2013," she claimed.

People considering suing the state must first file a tort
claim notice outlining their potential claims. On the list of Lawson's
potential defendants: Bruce Goldberg, interim director of Cover Oregon, Tina
Edlund, acting director of the Oregon Health Authority, Rocky King, former
director of Cover Oregon, and Patty Wentz, OHA communications director.

As the political furor over the exchange mounted in December,
Lawson claims she "was instructed... both to refrain from telling the "real
story" publicly and affirmatively to make false and/or misleading public
statements."

State officials decided on two key talking points, Lawson
claimed:

First, that Cover Oregon got blindsided by Lawson's Oregon
Health Authority when the OHA handed over control of an unfinished, bug-riddled
exchange to Cover Oregon in May 2013.

Second, Oracle, the state's primary contractor, was also to
blame.

Cover Oregon officials have said repeatedly they were
stunned that spring when instead of a finished, functional exchange the OHA
handed over a mess of non-functional code.

Lawson first went public in late February claiming the account was complete bunk. Cover Oregon was
integrally involved with the exchange technology effort as early as June 2012 and knew exactly what it was getting, she said.

Lawson "claims she informed her bosses repeatedly the
talking points were "misleading and/or not entirely truthful."

Lawson claims that Patty Wentz, OHA communications director,
told her it was part of her job to stay on message. "Ms. Wentz underscored this
message with a threat," Lawson claimed. Wentz allegedly said to her "Somebody
has to be held to blame for this – it's going to be Rocky (King,) or it's going
to be Oracle, or it's going to be you. We want it to be Oracle, but it can be
you if you want."

When Lawson continued to object, Tina Edlund, her boss at
the OHA, informed her "You will be resigning today. It's going to be for
personal reasons."

Lawson quit, saying the recent death of her mother-in-law
convinced her it was time to move back to her full-time home in Sacramento.

Wentz said the state had no comment. David Angeli, Lawson's
Portland lawyer, also declined to elaborate, saying "the letter speaks for
itself."

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